The present invention relates to an adapter for mounting a tool on an oscillating drive having a drive shaft that can be driven to oscillate about its longitudinal axis, wherein the adapter comprises a drive end facing the drive shaft and a tool end facing the tool and is passed by a central opening, wherein the adapter has a first receptacle on the drive end which comprises at least one positive-locking element for connection with the tool, and wherein the adapter has a second receptacle on its tool end facing the tool, for connection with a tool, whose shape differs from that of the first receptacle.
An adapter of that kind is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,862 B2.
The respective adapter shows on its tool side a depression provided with a plurality of outwardly extending convex projections, each having a rounded tip and being connected with neighboring projections via rounded concave lateral flanks. On its machine end, facing the oscillating drive, the adapter shows a raised portion in the form of a regular polygon which is matched to the mounting opening of a tool to be fitted in order to allow a positive-locking connection to be effected.
The adapter is suited to mount and secure a tool, provided with a mounting opening in the form of a regular polygon, on a drive shaft of an oscillating drive provided with a mounting section of the kind described above in the form of a plurality of outwardly extending convex projections, each having a rounded tip.
However, most recently there have been developed still other forms of mounting sections of a drive shaft, or of the respective mounting opening of a tool.
US 2008/0190259 A1, for example, discloses an oscillating drive the drive shaft of which is provided with a plurality of positive-locking elements of trapezoidal cross-section arranged on a circle concentric to the center axis. The respective tools suited for being mounted on that drive shaft comprise correspondingly shaped punched openings and a central opening through which a screw can be screwed into the drive shaft of the oscillating drive. The positive-locking elements simultaneously have the effect to permit the tool to be positively connected with and to be centered on the drive shaft.
Further, there are other forms of tools which are designed either for being connected with the drive shaft of an oscillating drive merely by friction, and which therefore only have a circular mounting opening, or which are configured in the form of a hexagon or a dodecagon.
The great variety of systems available in the market, with respect to the mounting opening and the matching mounting section of the drive shaft, clearly increase the required variety for such wearing parts, with the result of increased costs due to different packings, increased stocking costs or a lesser degree of cost reduction achievable in mass production.